Decree No. 167/2018/ND-CP of the Government on prescribing the restriction on groundwater extraction.

This Decree provides regulations on the restriction on groundwater extraction in freshwater areas within the territory of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Areas where groundwater extraction is restricted shall be categorized as follows: a. Restricted area 1; b. Restricted area 2; c. Restricted area 3; d. Restricted area 4; d. Mixed-restriction area. Article 6-10 provides for the delineation of restricted areas and implementation of measures to restrain extraction in such areas. Rules for delineating the areas where groundwater extraction is restricted include: a. The delineation must be suitable to the scale and properties of the areas where there are land subsidence, pollution, salt-water intrusion and exhaustion of freshwater, and the characteristics of the aquifer; such delineation must comply with the technical regulations and the related economic and technical norms; b. The boundary of the areas where groundwater extraction is restricted must be specified in the zoning map established on the basis of the administrative map or the topography map of the same ratio; c. The specific delineation rules for each restricted area or zone shall be complied with according to the regulations hereof, law regulations on water resources and other related laws;etc.